Naushon Kabat Zinn: ‘I Have Chosen My Path and I Need to Get Out of My Own Way’

Based in Northern California, Naushon Kabat Zinn has been a student of yoga since she was a little girl. Her challenging, yet compassionate, Power Vinyasa classes are a wonderful way to cultivate strength, serenity, flexibility and balance. Inspired by her studies with Baron Baptiste, Shiva Rea, Baba Hari Dass, and the teachings of Vispassana (Insight) Meditation, Naushon’s style emphasizes the linking of movement with breath.

Naushon Kabat Zinn: A professional surfer, a clothing designer, an interior decorator, a cook, the lead singer in a band, a photographer, and a yoga teacher!

WL: What did your child self want to be when you grew up?

NKZ: My child self wanted to turn prisons into places of wellness with libraries and greenery and healthful and delicious meals (seriously).

WL: What is your favorite funny video?

WL: Your personal theme song?

WL: What is your favorite yoga pose?

NKZ: My favorite yoga pose is Ardha Chandrasana (half moon), and all its variations. It just feels so freakin’ good in my body! I love to play with the aspects of balance and expansion, and the opportunity to step into my strength and flexibility and expand in all directions. It’s funny because I used to HATE this pose, but now it’s my favorite! Just goes to show you: keep doing the poses you hate because someday you might just love them! What we are averse to/afraid of can become our greatest teachers.

WL: What is your least favorite yoga pose?

NKZ: My least favorite poses are backbends, because my back is the least flexible part of me. I have an old back injury from rowing crew and I still have a lot of fear of reinsuring myself. I am constantly working on letting go of the fear and staying simple and slow in my backbends. Again, what we are averse to/afraid of are often our greatest opportunities for growth! But that doesn’t make it any easier!!

WL: What do you love about what you do?

NKZ: The connection to my students and seeing them blossom and grow and glow. They are what keeps me going and they remind me what yoga is really about!

WL: What challenges you about what you do?

NKZ: Showing up every day, being present and letting go of my own stuff in order to teach. Some days I wake up grumpy and tired and I want to stay under the covers, but I have to let that go and remember that life is much more that a fleeting emotion or desire to not be in front of a bunch of people that day. I have chosen my path and my practice and my life, and I need to get out of my own way, put on my big girl pants, be present, show up, and shine.